Early voting begins for Texas primaries including closely watched Senate contests

Early voting in the Texas primary election for statewide and congressional seats begins Tuesday.

The most high-profile contests will be those for seat of incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn, who is being challenged by Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. The Democratic candidates competing for the seat are Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico.

Voters will also cast ballots for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, the state legislature, several statewide judicial seats and the U.S. House of Representatives.

The early voting period for the March 3 primary election ends on Feb. 27.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, then a primary runoff election will be held. In a runoff, the two candidates with the most votes will face off on May 26.

The primary elections for Arkansas and North Carolina are also on March 3, meaning all three states have the earliest primaries.